I snap out of my sleepy daze as I hear the hotel door unlock. My dad pokes his head in the door, but before he can say anything I throw my pillow at him. Luckily he gets the hint that I need to sleep, so he quietly retreats without saying anything. Though, he wouldn’t have come here without a reason, so maybe it’s dinner time. I check my phone and see it’s half past six. I’m guessing they won’t bring me dinner in bed, so I better get up. I text my Dad first to let him know I’ll join them for dinner, then I brace myself for getting up.

Sliding my feet out from under the covers, I first walk over to the pillow and pick it up, then return it to my bed. Actually, it’s Aiden’s pillow; I just stole it earlier since he doesn’t really need it. He’s the type of person who likes to sleep with a ton of pillows, but ends up kicking them out of bed while he’s sleeping. I then walk over to his bed and shake him awake. Instead of getting up like a normal person, he tries to kick me with his legs. He still has his eyes closed though, so I’m able to avoid his pathetic attempts to maim me. I grab onto one of his legs and drag the rest of him off the bed, and as he curses me I plod over to the nearby bathroom to get ready. Turning on the lights, I squint at myself in the mirror. Bright green eyes stare back at me. My curly short black hair is a tangled mess, and I’m pretty sure that’s a drool stain on my cheek. I attempt to brush my hair, but it ends up looking frizzier than before. I splash my face with water and dry it off with an extremely soft towel, then I exit the bathroom. Aiden is just now sitting up in bed and stretching his arms. He softly groans, “Ouch.”

I look over and ask, “Did you wear your binder to bed?”

“Yeah. It really hurts now.” I can tell, his face is scrunching up ih pain.

“Do you wanna eat dinner later? I can let Mom and Dad know.”

“Yeah, that’d be great, thanks.” he replies.

“No prob.” Aiden proceeds to start taking off his shirt, but stops and glares at me when I don’t immediately make myself scarce.

“Do you mind?”

“I do, actually. I still have to change, and to do that I need to get clothes from my suitcase, which happens to still be out here.” I’m giving him sass, but I can’t resist. He’s too easy of a target, being my brother and all.

“Well then get your clothes and get out of here.” I snicker, making him shoot me a death glare, so I grab my clothes and retreat to the bathroom to change.

Fifteen minutes later I head downstairs, and after looking around for a bit I spot Mom and Dad near the restaurant entrance. As I walk closer I catch the end of their conversation.

“Did you hear? Daniel and Mason finally got engaged.”

“Those two? I always knew they were together, the sly bastards. Are we invited to the wedding?

“How do you think I know?”

I tap their shoulders to let them know I’ve arrived.

“Hey sweetie.” Dad looks around, then asks, “Where’s Aiden?”

“He wasn’t feeling well, so he’s eating later.”

Mom sighes. “He slept with his binder on again, didn’t he.”

“Yep.” He has a bad habit of forgetting to take it off. Honestly, he wears it way too much for it to be healthy. I’ve heard him grumbling to himself about rashes and bruising, but he won’t talk to us about it.

We walk inside the restaurant and are quickly seated. When I’m handed my menu, surprisingly enough, I know what most of the foods are. I guess going to the same Mediterranean street food vender near our home for lunch every day has some positive side effects. We order, and our food arrives after while. As expected it’s delicious, and I decide to also get dessert. I call the waiter over, and he comes over, giving me a huge smile.

“Yes, what can I do for you?”

“Do you have a dessert menu?” He smiles even wider, if that’s possible.

“Yes we do! Let me go get you one.” He disappears for a second, then comes back with a new menu.

“Let me know when you’ve decided!”

I smile at him and reply, “Thank you, I will.” Turning to look at the menu, I see they have plenty of options. Hmm, should I get two?

Dad sees my eyebrows furrow in thought and remarks, “You’re contemplating getting two desserts, aren’t you.” Damn, he knows me too well.

I look at him with big puppy eyes and say, “Can you order a dessert, then give it to me? I don’t want to look like a pig here, it’s high class. I’ll even let you have a bite.”

“No can do.” Darn, I thought the puppy eyes would work. I look over at Mom, but she just shakes her head. Prudes. They’re both prudes. Oh well, guess I’ll just have to deal with a judgy waiter. I look around, then make eye contact with him. He smiles again and walks over.

“Have you decided?”

“Yep, I’d like the baklava and diples please.” He looks a bit surprised for a second, but to his credit he quickly recovers and walks away to put in the order. After a surprisingly short time he brings out the desserts, and with another big smile says, “Enjoy!” I thank him and proceed to dig in. Mmm. No regerts.

Later, we leave the restaurant with full stomachs, but I remember I forgot my phone at the table. I let my parents know I’m going back, then I quickly rush back and grab it, but as I’m leaving again our waiter comes up to me.

“Hey, forgot your phone?”

I smile and reply, “Yep.” I try to walk away, but he speaks up again.

“Um, I was wondering. Do you have a boyfriend?” Oh boy, here we go.

“No, and I’m not interested in having a relationship. Sorry.” I start to move, but his hand shoots out and grabs my arm.

“Wait, can I at least have your number?” Ok, now he’s getting creepy.

“Sorry, but I’m really not interested. I need to leave and check on my brother.” He looks down like he’s hurt, but when he looks back up he has a crazy, determined look in his eyes.

“I’m really interested in you. You’re pretty, and I want to get to know you more.” Can’t he take a hint? I take a deep breath, and look him straight in the eye.

“I don’t want to date you, and that will never change. I will also never want to date anyone else, ever, because I’m not interested in that type of thing. It’s nothing personal, I just can’t.” His grip on my arm tightens, and I start to panic. I quickly twist my arm out of his grasp and dart away. Luckily, he doesn’t follow me, but I still rush back to my room, and only relax once I’m safely in the door. Letting out a breath I’ve been holding in, I turn around and stagger toward my bed. I think now’s a good time to escape reality for a while. I lie down, close my eyes, and start dreaming.